1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shift lever device for operating a transmission of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A shift lever device, which has a rod-shaped shift lever and operates an automatic transmission of a vehicle by turning the shift lever, is generally used in an operating device for operating the automatic transmission from the vehicle cabin so as to change the shift range set at the automatic transmission.
Among this type of shift lever device, there is, for example, a so-called straight shift lever device in which the axial direction is substantially the left-right direction of the vehicle, and which turns the shift lever device only around this axis (i.e., operates rectilinearly as seen in plan view). In addition, there is a so-called gate shift lever device in which the axial directions are respectively the substantially left-right direction of the vehicle and the substantially front-back direction of the vehicle, and which turns the shift lever in a zigzag manner around these axes.
In these shift lever devices, the shift pattern, which is the pattern of rotation of the shift lever, is set in advance. Further, plural shift positions are set within the range of this shift pattern. When the shift lever is shifted to a shift position corresponding to a desired shift range, the shift range of the automatic transmission is changed to the shift range corresponding to that shift position.
On the other hand, a structure has been conceived of in which such a shift pattern and shift positions are indicated, for example, on the knob of the shift lever, thereby facilitating confirmation of the shift pattern and the shift positions. Moreover, Japanese Patent Applications Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 61-50835 and 62-84809, among others, disclose a structure in which an illuminating means, such as a lamp or an LED or the like, is provided at the knob. Due to this illuminating means emitting light, it is even easier to confirm the shift pattern and the shift positions indicated at the knob.
However, as in the structures disclosed in Japanese Patent Applications Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 61-50835 and 62-84809, providing an illuminating means such as a lamp or an LED or the like at the knob of the shift lever causes the internal structure of the knob to become complex, and as a result, the knob becomes larger.